Monday, December 14, 2015

Find number 5 on the list. It is filled with great sites and sounds.


Our international Index of BEST web sites. If some links don't work, try copying and pasting directly into Google. This week I recommend you visit number 60 in our list for beautiful pictures.

1.=   http://www.freeChess.org  </>
2. =  http://www.netflix.com/WiHome </>
3.=   http://www.webcrawler.com/%E2%80%8E/support/addsearchtosite?qc=web&aid=c7d63d78-d17e-49d5-a735-4e642b7855ac&ridx=1 </>
4.=   https://www.google.ca/?gws_rd=cr&ei=mKPmUor8O4zxrAGy44BY </>
5.=   http://www.Youtube.com</>
6. =  http://www.Greenpeace.org </>
7.=   http://www.human4us2.blogspot.ca </>
8. =  http://www.NASA.GOV</>
9. =  http://www.teamsternation.com </>
10.= http://www.Ted.com</>
11.= http://ca.yahoo.com/?p=us</>
12 = http://www.Reuters.com</>
13.= http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles</>
14.= http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/360-panorama-paris/index-en.html</>
15.= http://www.greatwallchina.info/news/index.htm</>
16.= http://www.geographia.com/russia/moscow02.htm</>
17.= http://www.wwfindia.org/</>
18.= https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy
19.= theobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=80167&eocn=te&eoci=index</>
20.= http://www.un.org/en/</>
24.=  https://plus.google.com/u/0/                          
25.=   https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/coronal-hole-front-and-center                        
30.=  http://www.iTooch.com </> 31. = http://www.Netmaths.com </> 32. = http://www.Evernote.com</>
33. = http://www.abmaths.com</> 34. = http://www.Sciences.com</> 35. =
36. = http://www.human4us2.blogspot.ca      37. = https://plus.google.com/u/0/ </>
38.=  http://www.jaccorde.com</>
39.=  http://www.Atlasdumonde.com </> 40.= http://www.Echecs.com </>
41.=  http://mlb.mlb.com/home </>  42.= http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/ </> 43.= http://www.nfl.com/ </>
44.=  http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=83650</>
45.=  http://crowdenergy.org/ocean-energy-turbine-kickstarter-video/</>
46.=  http://www.human4us2.blogspot.ca -                                            place holder
47.=  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Current_events </>
48.=  http://www.sierraclub.org/
49.=  http://eol.org/ </>
50.=  http://www.seedsavers.org/onlinestore/</>
51. = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiwI5k-gFwc
52.=  http://www.emsl.pnnl.gov/emslweb/news/new-hypothesis-environmental-restoration.
53.=  https://plus.google.com/u/0/explore/sciencenews
54.=  www.drbookspan.com/
55.=  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_lighthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_light
56.=  http://www.nova.org.au/space-time/dark-stuff-our-universe
57.=  http://www.human4us2.blogspot.ca
58.=  http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/Collections/
59.=  http://singularityhub.com/2015/10/18/how-aged-neurons-in-a-dish-can-accelerate-longevity-research/http://singularityhub.com/2015/10/18/how-aged-neurons-in-a-dish-can-accelerate-longevity-research/
60.= https://plus.google.com/u/0/112832872224512996909/posts
61.=http://www.openculture.com/2012/08/the_character_of_physical_law_richard_feynmans_legendary_lecture_series_at_cornell_1964.html
62.= http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hframe.html 
63.= http://earthspacecircle.blogspot.ca/

“The huge question is: in the future, as the carbon dioxide builds up,...

A Year in the Life of Carbon Dioxide
acquired September 6, 2014 - September 6, 2015
Launched in 2014, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) has been collecting NASA’s first detailed, global measurements of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The OCO-2 team recently released its first full year of data, which is critical to analyzing and understanding Earth’s carbon cycle.
The animated map above shows global average carbon dioxide concentrations as measured by OCO-2 from September 6, 2014, to September 6, 2015. The satellite measures carbon dioxide from the top of Earth’s atmosphere to its surface. Higher concentrations appear dark orange, while lower concentrations appear yellow. The scale is relatively narrow, from 390 to 405 parts per million, the high and low measurements by OCO-2 in its first year. Since the beginning of the industrial age, the global concentration of CO2 has increased from roughly an average of 280 parts per million to an average of 400 parts per million.
One recognizable pattern over the year is the annual uptake and release of carbon as each hemisphere passes through the seasons. In the winter, carbon dioxide levels are at their peak in the northern hemisphere, when there is little plant or phytoplankton growth to offset emissions from human activities and natural sources. At the same time, CO2 concentrations drop in the southern hemisphere, which is bathed in summer sunlight and heat. The pattern reverses as the hemispheres change seasons. According to the new measurements, atmospheric CO2 changes by 8 to 12 parts per million (2 to 3 percent) from winter through the “spring drawdown” in the northern hemisphere. This is visible in the maps below from March-April and August 2015.
acquired March 27 - April 11, 2015
acquired August 11 - 16, 2015
Over the course of a year, it is also clear that CO2 levels are generally higher over the northern hemisphere—where there are more people and more emissions—than in the southern hemisphere. Both phenomena are well known to scientists, but OCO-2 now lets us see those patterns more clearly. Scientists expect that more patterns will emerge on finer scales as the OCO-2 data set grows with time.
Though atmospheric carbon has been measured from stations on the ground—most famously at Mauna Loa in Hawaii—the value of OCO-2 is that it makes consistent measurements with the same instrument over all land and sea surfaces. This was previously done, though at lower resolution and less frequency, by the JapaneseGOSAT satellite. NASA’s Atmospheric Infrared Sounder on the Aqua satellite also senses carbon dioxide, though higher in the atmosphere.
OCO-2 is NASA’s first spacecraft dedicated to studying the manmade and natural sources and sinks of carbon dioxide from the top of the atmosphere to the surface. It uses high-resolution spectrometers that measure the intensity of sunlight at different wavelengths after it has passed down through the atmosphere, reflected off the land surface, and passed back up through the atmosphere. Every day, OCO-2 orbits Earth 14.5 times and returns about a million measurements. After eliminating data contaminated by clouds, aerosols, and steep terrain, between 10 to 13 percent of the measurements are of sufficient quality to derive accurate estimates of average carbon dioxide concentrations. That's at least 100 times more carbon dioxide measurements than from all other sources combined.
“The new, exciting thing from my perspective is that we have more than 100,000 measurements each day of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” said Annmarie Eldering, OCO-2 deputy project scientist, based at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “Armed with this pile of data, we can start to investigate more fully this question of sources and sinks and how different parts of the world contribute to these processes.”
Carbon naturally cycles through earthly environments. Ocean water naturally absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and floating, microscopic phytoplankton soak it up as well. Trees, crops, and other plants on land take up carbon dioxide and turn it into the building blocks of roots, stems, branches, and leaves. Some of that carbon stays in the soil as vegetation dies and gets buried, and some is released back into the atmosphere through plant respiration. Both carbon dioxide and methane also are released through the decomposition of vegetation, land clearing, and fire. Over many millennia, the pace of carbon cycling is even influenced by volcanic emissions and the weathering of rocks.
For most of human history, this rhythmic exchange of carbon has been more-or-less steady. But the cycle has been thrown off in the past few centuries as ever-growing human populations have burned fossil fuels, cleared forests, and tilled soils for agriculture.
Today, about half of the carbon dioxide released by human activities stays in the atmosphere, warming and altering Earth’s climate. The other half is removed from the air by the plants, plankton, and oceans. “The huge question is: in the future, as the carbon dioxide builds up, will the land and the ocean continue to take up that 50 percent?” said Eldering. “Do they get saturated or full, and they quit at some point, or do they always just take up more and more and more?”
NASA Earth Observatory maps by Joshua Stevens, using data from the OCO-2 science team at NASA-JPL and Caltech. Caption by Mike Carlowicz, based on reporting by Alan Buis (JPL) and Kate Ramsayer and Carol Rasmussen (NASA Earth Science News Team). .

Except for a vital Tax on Carbon...

INTERNATIONAL

Nearly 200 Nations Adopt Climate Agreement At COP21 Talks In Paris

French President Francois Hollande, right, French Foreign Minister and president of the COP21 meetings Laurent Fabius, second right, UN climate chief Christiana Figueres, left, and UN Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon join hands after the final adoption of an agreement at the COP21 United Nations conference on climate change.i
French President Francois Hollande, right, French Foreign Minister and president of the COP21 meetings Laurent Fabius, second right, UN climate chief Christiana Figueres, left, and UN Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon join hands after the final adoption of an agreement at the COP21 United Nations conference on climate change.
Francois Mori/AP
In what supporters are calling a historic achievement, 196 nations attending the COP21 climate meetings outside Paris voted to adopt an agreement Saturday that covers both developed and developing countries. Their respective governments will now need to adopt the deal.
Presenting the plan aimed at curbing global warming ahead of Saturday's vote, France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told the delegations, "You go into this room to decide a historic agreement. The world holds its breath and it counts on you."
The agreement, which was publicly released Saturday morning (ET), sets the goal of limiting the world's rise in average temperature to "well below 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius."
Reporting on details of the deal, NPR's Christopher Joyce says, "To help developing countries switch from fossil fuels to greener sources of energy and adapt to the effects of climate change, the developed world will provide $100 billion a year."
He adds that the 1.5-degree cap was sought by island nations.
Under the agreement, the Obama administration says that for the first time, all countries will be required to report on "national inventories of emissions by source" and also to report on their mitigation efforts.
President Obama spoke on the agreement late Saturday afternoon, saying the agreement was a strong one, showing what is possible when the world stands as one.
"We met the moment," Obama said.
White House YouTube
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: "With these elements in place, markets now have the clear signal they need to unleash the full force of human ingenuity and scale up investments that will generate low-emissions, resilient growth," adding that "what was once unthinkable has now become unstoppable."
Update at 3:05 p.m. ET: Hollande Gives Al Gore A Shout-Out
"You've done it," French President Francois Hollande told the delegates in the hall, setting off a new round of applause. "You have succeeded where six years ago there was failure."
Turning philosophical during his remarks, Hollande said that for everyone in the room today, they'll someday face questions such as "What was the meaning of our lives, what did we achieve."
And he answered, "one thing will come up time and again: you will be able to say that on the twelfth of December you were in Paris for the agreement on the climate. And you will be able to be proud to stand before your children and your grandchildren."
Hollande went on to acknowledge the work on climate change by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore — who's in attendance, and who rises and bows as people in the chamber yell and applaud.
We are entering a low-carbon age, Hollande said, adding later that the climate agreement represents the "most beautiful, most peaceful revolution" in the world.
Update at 2:27 p.m. ET: A 'Tremendous Victory,' Kerry Says
"This a tremendous victory for all our citizens," Secretary of State John Kerry says. "It's a victory for all the planet, and for future generations."
Kerry said the deal "will help the world prepare" for impacts of climate change that are either already here or are on the way, adding that it could prevent the worst environmental effects from coming to pass. He went on to say that American enterprise and businesses would play vital roles in that process.
Kerry also praised the summit's French hosts for their work on the agreement, particularly in light of the recent terrorist attacks.
"We've taken a critical step forward," Kerry says, adding that the next actions will be equally important.
Update at 1:43 p.m. ET: 'Single Most Important Collective Action'
Conservation International Chairman and CEO Peter Seligmann says the COP21 agreement "is a transformative diplomatic victory," but he adds, "The hard work of delivery begins now. The security of nations and humanity depends upon the reduction of emissions and the protection of nature."
The group calls the agreement "the single most important collective action for addressing climate change ever agreed upon."
Update at 1:30 p.m. ET: Deal Is Adopted
The hall erupts into applause after no one objects to a final adoption of the deal to combat global warming and rein in greenhouse gases.
After the excitement dies down, Fabius is reminded he must use his gavel to make the results official.
"It's a small gavel, but I think it can do a great job," he says as he raps it on the table.
Update at 1:18 p.m. ET: The Session Has Begun
After hours of delays, Fabius begins the evening's proceedings in France. The event quickly turns to correcting errors in the documents, such as differences between translations of the deal (it's in six languages).
Update at 12:50 p.m. ET: U.S. Supports Deal; Meeting Still Pending
With delays slowing the start of the meeting, we're hearing word that U.S. climate envoy Todd Stern says the United States will agree to the deal. Stern spoke to reporters as delegates entered the main gathering hall.
The Like Minded Group of Developing Countries — China, India, Saudi Arabia, and others — has said through a spokesman that they're "happy" with the deal, the BBC reports.
Our original post continues:
"The end is in sight. Let us now finish the job," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told delegates at the two-week meetings. "The whole world is watching. Billions of people are relying on your wisdom."
The document includes two essential recognitions:
  • "that climate change represents an urgent and potentially irreversible threat to human societies and the planet and thus requires the widest possible cooperation by all countries"
  • "that deep reductions in global emissions will be required in order to achieve the ultimate objective of the Convention and emphasizing the need for urgency in addressing climate change."
The deal also calls for five-year updates on how the plan is being instituted.
For it to take effect, all 196 individual governments in the UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change will need to adopt the final document. Working out terms of the deal required adding an extra day to the conference.
"Major hurdles included how much wealthy countries would spend to help developing countries adapt to climate change," NPR's Christopher Joyce reports from Paris. Chris adds, "donor countries will retain the right to monitor how that money is spent.
Urging negotiators to seize a chance to change the world, French President Francois Hollande said Saturday morning, "History is here. All the conditions are met. The decisive agreement for the planet is now."

As global warming continues and creates drought around the world more unrest will ensue and more refugees will need help!

 

Opening our arms to refugees 

Dear Joseph,

My heart burst when I saw the picture of the drowned body of 3 year old Alan Kurdi in his red shirt and blue pants, face downward in the sand on a Turkish beach. I won’t be able to forget that picture, ever.
Today, I’m filled with a different kind of emotion. It’s joy, renewed hope, and a sense of pride as I watch Canadians open their arms to welcome refugees from Syria. Thank you. You played a part in turning human tragedy to joy.

Since the start of the brutal civil war in Syria, Amnesty International has been sounding the alarm bell about the rapidly mounting Syrian refugee crisis, and the need for Canada to respond.

With your help, Amnesty International sent researchers into the heart of the trouble spots in Syria, to document the gravity of the crisis, to call on neighbouring countries to protect fleeing refugees, and to move the world to bring resources, attention and understanding to help ease the frightening vulnerability of refugees.  

And in recent weeks there has been such important progress in Canada. We have  as a nation and as individuals – generously and spontaneously opened our arms in a warm and heartfelt “welcome”. We have enthusiastically shared our time, money, commitment, and even our homes. We have shown that we are open to being changed and enriched by those who join our communities.

Joseph, this is work that needs our attention. Can we count on you to help those still in need and to urge governments to respond and uphold laws that help prevent the next crisis?
 
 
I don’t know the name of the child sleeping in his mother’s arms in this picture. It's a photo of refugees from last week's Amnesty news release about the 12,000 refugees who are stranded in “no man’s land” on the border of Jordan and Syria, unable to turn back but unable to move forward. But I want this boy and his family to be safe! I stood in refugee camps in South Sudan earlier this year, and witnessed firsthand the desperate protection needs of refugees. I could feel how painful it is for a parent not to be able to protect their children, or for loved ones to be fearful about the fate of the people left behind. This vulnerability and fear robs you of your dignity.
With a donation to Amnesty International you can help us bring safety and dignity to vulnerable refugees

The global refugee crisis has forced us at Amnesty International to dig a little deeper and find new resources to ensure we respond where the need is greatest, and to have the capacity to investigate human rights violations wherever they occur. The Syrian refugee crisis is alarming by its sheer magnitude – 4 million who fled the country – the biggest refugee crisis since World War II. That does not even take account of the more than 8 million Syrians who have been forced to flee their homes but remain internally displaced in Syria.

It took the loss of little Alan Kurdi to move the world to respond. But it is still nowhere near adequate. While many countries have responded generously, others have turned their backs on fleeing refugees, and others struggle to cope. There is such a pressing need for a generous, coordinated global response to the Syrian refugee crisis, that will both protect refugees and enrich communities around the world. 
As the Syrian refugee crisis continues to unfold, we are witnessing the immense cost of not holding governments like Syria to account for the atrocities committed against their own citizens, of ignoring the principles of human rights protection. 

Amnesty International’s respected, independent voice in the defence human rights needs to be louder. Please make a financial contribution today using our secure online donation form, or call us at 1-800-AMNESTY (1-800-266-3789) to make your gift.
Thank you for your compassion and your commitment to human rights. 

Sincerely,


Alex Neve
Secretary General
Amnesty International Canada

P.S. Canadians are demonstrating the best of humanity as they raise funds to sponsor individual refugee families and welcome them into their communities. With your support to Amnesty International's work to protect refugees, you'll honour those who are finding a home in Canada and help bring hope and dignity to other refugees who have yet to find safety. Thank you!

Thursday, December 10, 2015


Waleed Abu al-Khair, Saudi Arabian human rights activist and lawyer for blogger, Raif Badawi, is in prison for his work.
Today is the big day!
Will you help us make sure everyone knows December 10th is 
International Human Rights Day? 
 
 
Dear Joseph,

Your right to freedom of speech, equal treatment, and freedom from torture and a whole range of violations were enshrined on December 10th, 1948, when almost every nation signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Today, on International Human Rights Day, we’re celebrating our rights and speaking out on some of the most pressing issues – globally and here in Canada – where we believe public action can make a difference.

Here’s how you can get involved and spread the word:


Write a letter on your own or at an event

Big and small "write-a-thons" are taking place in 80 countries around the world. Here in Canada, 1,500 public and private Write for Rights events are happening in schools, living rooms, cafes and places of worship from coast to coast to coast!

For each action, you can send a message to a government official and directly, in solidarity, to the individual or community at risk. The basics: 

>>  Sign up to be a part of Write for Rights

>>  Find events near you

>> See our tips for writing and organizing
 
 >> See all letter-writing actions and petitions
Take a minute to sign and share our 3 priority e-actions

1. Welcome refugees
Canadians have opened their hearts and communities to sponsor Syrians who are seeking escape from the worst refugee crisis since WWII. Canada needs a long-term plan to welcome refugees from Syria and other crisis spots in the world.

2. Protect the Peace: Halt Site C  
The rights and livelihoods of Indigenous people are at risk as British Columbia pursues plans to flood the Peace River Valley. 

3. Free Waleed
One million people have signed Amnesty’s petitions to protect blogger Raif Badawi from flogging in Saudi Arabia. Now his lawyer is in jail and needs our help.

Prefer to send a letter? All of our e-actions have letter-writing options and vice versa! 
 
 >> See how you can promote all our cases on social media
Spread the word 
#Write4Rights





And here in Canada, 
Premier Clark believes that he and his government can step on the rights of
Aboriginal people.
--------------------------------------------
Dear Premier Clark,
I urge your government to withdraw all permits related to the construction of the Site C dam and publicly commit to ensuring that the rights of Indigenous peoples will be respected and upheld.
The environmental assessment of the Site C dam concluded that flooding the Peace Valley would “severely undermine” rights of Indigenous peoples - rights that are protected by Treaty, the Canadian Constitution and international human rights law.
I am shocked that your government would issue construction permits for the dam while these important concerns remain unresolved.
There are directly affected First Nations that remain opposed to the project. And important legal challenges are still before the courts.
Please don’t rush ahead with a project that will violate human rights.
Sincerely, 
Joseph Raglione: 

Stephanie Hulse, Greenpeace Canada <stephanie.hulse@greenpeace.ca>

Nelson,   A few months ago, I told you about the City of Montréal’s plans to ban natural gas in new buildings in the Fall of 2024. And I hav...